Shadowing Practice: BBE English Podcast 01 - Chủ động luyện nghe Tiếng Anh có phụ đề | I'm Mary - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Section 1 Hello, Tourist Information Centre.
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Section 1 Hello, Tourist Information Centre.
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Mike speaking.
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How can I help you?
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Oh, hi.
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I wanted to find out about cookery classes.
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I believe there are some one-day classes for tourists.
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Well, they're open to everyone, but tourists are always welcome.
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OK, let me give you some details of what's available.
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There are several classes.
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One very popular one is at the food studio.
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OK.
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They focus on seasonal products, and as well as teaching you how to cook them, they also show you how to choose them.
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Right, that sounds good.
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How big are the classes?
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I'm not sure exactly, but they'll be quite small.
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And could I get a private lesson there?
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I think so.
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Let me check.
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Yes, they do offer those.
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Though, in fact, most of the people who attend the classes find it's a nice way of getting to know one another.
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I suppose it must be, yes.
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And this company has a special deal for clients where they offer a discount of 20% if you return for a further class.
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OK, but you said there were several classes.
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That's right.
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Another one you might be interested in is Bonds Cookery School.
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They're quite new.
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They just opened six months ago, but I've heard good things about them.
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They concentrate on teaching you to prepare healthy food, and they have quite a lot of specialist staff.
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So, is that food for people on a diet and things like that?
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I don't know if I'd be interested in that.
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Well, I don't think they particularly focus on low-calorie diets or weight loss.
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It's more to do with recipes that look at specific needs, like including ingredients that will help build up your bones and make them stronger, that sort of thing.
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I see.
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Well, I might be interested.
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I'm not sure.
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Do they have a website I could check?
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Yes.
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Just key in the name of the school.
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It'll come up.
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And if you want to know more about them, every Thursday evening they have a lecture at the school.
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It's free and you don't need to book or anything.
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Just turn up at 7.30.
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And that might give you an idea of whether you want to go to an actual class.
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OK, there's one more place you might be interested in.
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That's got a rather strange name.
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It's called the Arezza Centre.
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That's spelled A-R-R-E-T-S-A.
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OK.
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They've got a very good reputation.
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They do a bit of meat and fish cookery, but they mostly specialise in vegetarian dishes.
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Right.
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That's certainly an area I'd like to learn more about.
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I've got lots of friends who don't eat meat.
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In fact, I think I might have seen that school today.
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Is it just by the market?
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That's right.
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So they don't have any problem getting their ingredients.
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They're right next door.
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And they also offer a special two-hour course in how to use a knife.
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They cover all the different skills, buying them, sharpening, chopping techniques.
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It gets booked up quickly though so you'd need to check it was available.
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Right well thank you very much.
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I'll go and check that out.
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Section 2.
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Good evening everyone.
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My name's Phil Sutton and I'm chairman of the Highways Committee.
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We've called this meeting to inform members of the public about the new regulations for traffic and parking we're proposing for Granford.
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I'll start by summarising these changes before we open the meeting to questions.
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So why do we need to make these changes to traffic systems in Granford?
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Well, we're very aware that traffic is becoming an increasing problem.
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It's been especially noticeable with the increase in heavy traffic while they've been building the new hospital.
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But it's the overall rise in the volume of traffic of all kinds that's concerning us.
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To date, there's not been any increase in traffic accidents, but that's not something we want to see happen, obviously.
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We recently carried out a survey of local residents and their responses were interesting.
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People were very concerned about the lack of visibility on some roads due to cars parked along the sides of the roads.
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We'd expected complaints about the congestion near the school when parents are dropping off their children or picking them up, but this was on top of the list and nor were noise and fumes from trucks and lorries, though they were mentioned by some people.
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We think these new traffic regulations would make a lot of difference, but we still have a long way to go.
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We've managed to keep our proposals within budget just so they can be covered by the council, but of course it's no good introducing new regulations if we don't have a way of making sure that everyone obeys them and that's an area we're still working on with the help of representatives from the police force.
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Okay so this slide shows a map of the central area of Granford with the High Street in the middle and School Road on the right.
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Now we already have a set of traffic lights in the High Street at the junction with Station Road but we're We're planning to have another set at the other end, at the school road junction, to regulate the flow of traffic along the high street.
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We've decided we definitely need a pedestrian crossing.
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We considered putting this on school road just outside the school, but in the end we decided that could lead to a lot of traffic congestion.
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So we decided to locate it on the high street, crossing the road in front of the supermarket.
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That's a very busy area so it should help things there.
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We are proposing some changes to parking.
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At present, parking isn't allowed on the High Street outside the library, but we are going to change that and allow parking there, but not at the other end of the High Street near School Road.
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There'll be a new No Parking sign on School Road just by the entrance to the school, forbidding parking for 25 metres.
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This should improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians, especially on the bend just to the north of the school.
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As far as disabled drivers are concerned, at present they have parking outside the supermarket, but lorries also use those spaces, so we've got two new disabled parking spaces on the side road up towards the bank.
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It's not ideal but probably better than the present arrangement.
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We also plan to widen the pavement on School Road.
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We think we can manage to get an extra half metre on the bend just before you get to the school, on the same side of the road.
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Finally we've introduced new restrictions on loading and unloading for the supermarket so lorries will only be allowed to stop there before 8am.
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That's the supermarket on School Road.
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We kept to the existing arrangements with the High Street supermarket.
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OK, so that's about it.
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Section 3 We've got to choose a topic for our experiment, haven't we, Jack?
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Were you thinking of something to do with seeds?
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That's right.
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I thought we could look at seed germination, how a seed begins to grow.
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OK.
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Any particular reason?
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I know you're hoping to work in plant science eventually.
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Yeah, but practically everything we do is going to feed into that.
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No, there's an optional module on seed structure and function in the third year that I might do.
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So I thought it might be useful for that.
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If I choose that option, I don't have to do a dissertation module.
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Good idea.
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Well, I thought for this experiment, we could look at the relationship between seed size and the way the seeds are planted.
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So we could plant different sized seeds in different ways and see which grow best.
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OK.
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Would need to allow time for the seeds to come up.
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That should be fine if we start now.
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A lot of the other possible experiments need quite a bit longer.
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So that'd make it a good one to choose.
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And I don't suppose it'd need much equipment.
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We're not doing chemical analysis or anything.
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Though that's not really an issue.
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We've got plenty of equipment in the laboratory.
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Yeah, we need to have a word with the tutor if we're going to go ahead with it, though.
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I'm sure our aim's OK.
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It's not very ambitious, but the assignment's only 10% of our final mark, isn't it?
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But we need to be sure we're the only ones doing it.
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Yeah, it's only 5% actually, but it'd be a bit boring if everyone was doing it.
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Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list?
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The one by Graves?
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I looked through it for my last experiment, though it wasn't all that relevant there.
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It would be for this experiment, though.
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I found it quite hard to follow, lots about the theory which I hadn't expected.
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Yes, I'd been hoping for something more practical.
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It does include references to the recent findings on genetically modified seeds, though.
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Yes, that was interesting.
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I read an article about seed germination by Lee Hall.
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About seeds that lie in the ground for ages and only germinate after a fire.
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That's the one.
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I knew a bit about it already, but not about this research.
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His analysis of figures comparing the times of the fires and the proportion of seeds that germinated was done in a lot of detail.
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Very impressive.
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Was that the article with the illustrations of early stages of plant development?
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They were very clear.
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I think those diagrams were in another article.
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Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment?
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We'll need to get going with it quite soon.
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Right.
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So the first thing we have to do is find our seeds.
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I think vegetable seeds would be best, and obviously they mustn't all be the same size.
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So how many sorts do we need?
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About four different ones?
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I think that would be enough.
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There'll be quite a large number of seeds for each one.
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Then for each seed we need to find out how much it weighs and also measure its dimensions.
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And we need to keep a careful record of all that.
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That'll be quite time consuming.
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And we also need to decide how deep we're going to plant the seeds, right on the surface a few millimetres down or several centimetres.
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OK, so then we get planting.
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Do you think we can plant several seeds together in the same plant pot?
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No, I think we need a different one for each seed.
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Right, and we'll need to label them.
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We can use different coloured labels.
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Then we wait for the seeds to germinate.
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I reckon that'll be about three weeks, depending on what the weather's like.
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Then we see if our plants have come up and write down how tall they've grown.
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Then all we have to do is look at our numbers and see if there's any relation between them.
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That's right.
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Section 4 Hi.
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Today we're going to be looking at animals in urban environments.
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and I'm going to be telling you about some research on how they're affected by these environments.
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Now, in evolutionary terms, urban environments represent huge upheavals, the sorts of massive changes that usually happen over millions of years.
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And we used to think that only a few species could adapt to this new environment.
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One species which is well known as being highly adaptable is the crow, and there have been various studies about how they manage to learn new skills.
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Another successful species is the pigeon, because they're able to perch on ledges on the walls of city buildings, just like they once perched on cliffs by the sea.
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In fact, we're now finding that these early immigrants were just the start of a more general movement of animals into cities, and of adaptation by these animals to city life.
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And one thing that researchers are finding especially interesting is the speed with which they're doing this.
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We're not talking about gradual evolution here.
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These animals are changing fast.
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Let me tell you about some of the studies that have been carried out in this area.
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So in the University of Minnesota, a biologist called Emily Snellrud and her colleagues looked at specimens of urbanized small mammals such as mice and gophers that had been collected in Minnesota and that are now kept in museums there.
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And she looked at specimens that had been collected over the last hundred years, which which is a very short time in evolutionary terms.
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And she found that during that time, these small mammals had experienced a jump in brain size when compared to rural mammals.
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Now we can't be sure this means they're more intelligent, but since the sizes of other parts of the body didn't change, it does suggest that something cognitive was going on.
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And Snellrud thinks that this change might reflect the cognitive demands of adjusting to city life.
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Having to look in different places to find food, for example, and coping with a whole new set of dangers.
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Then over in Germany, at the Max Planck Institute, there's another biologist called Katerina Miranda, who's done some experiments with blackbirds living in urban and rural areas.
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she's been looking not at their anatomy, but at their behavior.
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So, as you might expect, she's found that the urban blackbirds tend to be quite bold.
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They're prepared to face up to a lot of threats that would frighten away their country counterparts.
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But there's one type of situation that does seem to frighten the urban blackbirds, and that's anything new, anything they haven't experienced before.
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And if you think about it, that's quite sensible for a bird living in the city.
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Jonathan Atwell, in Indiana University, is looking at how a range of animals respond to urban environments.
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He's found that when they're under stress, their endocrine systems react by reducing the amount of hormones, such as corticosterone, into their blood.
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It's a sensible-seeming adaptation.
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A rat that gets scared every time a subway train rolls past won't be very successful.
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There's just one more study I'd like to mention, which is by Sarah Parton and her team.
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And they've been looking at how squirrels communicate in an urban environment.
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And they've found that a routine part of their communication is carried out by waving their tails.
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You do also see this in the country, but it's much more prevalent in cities, possibly because it's effective in a noisy environment.
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So what are the long-term implications of this?
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One possibility is that we may see completely new species developing in cities.
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But on the other hand, it's possible that not all of these adaptations will be permanent.
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Once the animals got accustomed to its new environment, it may no longer need the features it's developed.
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So, now we've had a look at adaptations.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Listening comprehension is essential for language acquisition, and this video provides a practical context for improving your English speaking skills. By engaging with real-life dialogues, such as a conversation at a Tourist Information Centre, learners can enhance their understanding of everyday interactions. The dialogue involves a tourist inquiring about cookery classes, which introduces terms and situations that are relevant to many travelers. Practicing speaking along with this content—often referred to as shadow speak—not only helps improve fluency but also builds confidence in using English in practical situations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video presents several useful expressions and grammatical structures that learners can adopt:

  • Question Formation: The phrase “How can I help you?” is a polite, common way to invite someone to ask a question. This structure is vital for engaging in customer service or assistance contexts, making it useful for learners.
  • Imperatives: The suggestion “Just turn up at 7.30” demonstrates how imperatives are used to give clear, straightforward instructions. Imperatives are important for practical communication, as they convey commands or requests effectively.
  • Conditional Statements: Phrases such as “If you want to know more about them…” showcase conditional structures that are often used to present possibilities. Mastering this grammar point helps learners express hypothetical situations more naturally.
  • Present Simple Tense: The use of present simple in “They concentrate on teaching you to prepare healthy food” illustrates how to describe ongoing actions or general truths, which enhances clarity in communication.

Common Pronunciation Traps

This video also presents certain pronunciation challenges that learners should be aware of. For instance:

  • “Cookery” might be pronounced differently in diverse English accents, making its articulation tricky for non-native speakers. Focusing on this word through repeated practice can help improve English pronunciation.
  • The term “Arezza Centre” showcases how unfamiliar names can pose challenges; the spelling and pronunciation may not follow common English rules. Practicing how to say such names ensures learners can confidently speak about various establishments.
  • Words like “vegetarian” and “reputation” may have accent-friendly pitfalls; it's crucial to listen closely and mimic the intonation to avoid mispronunciation.

Using these strategies in a shadowing site format while engaging with the video will boost your confidence and speaking ability. Incorporate these elements of pronunciation practice to advance your learning journey in English. By actively shadowing the speakers, or engaging in shadowspeak, learners will undoubtedly see improvements in pronunciation and fluency.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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